


she's sweet like candy in my veins

by ignisgayentia



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Aranea is gay as hell and luna is a hot bi mess, Bartender Aranea, F/F, First Kiss, Flirting, Med School Student Luna, Speed Dating, aranea wears a suit... ur welcome, polyship roadtrip hints
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-04
Updated: 2019-09-04
Packaged: 2020-10-09 23:51:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20518505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ignisgayentia/pseuds/ignisgayentia
Summary: Lunafreya, medical student at Insomnia University, reluctantly agrees to accompany one of her best friends Noctis to a speed dating session so he won't endure it alone. What she doesn't expect to find is a charming and beautiful bartender, Aranea, who sweeps her off her feet in a way Luna least expects.Maybe speed dating wouldn't be so bad after all.





	she's sweet like candy in my veins

**Author's Note:**

> HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUNA! this is a tiny bit late for certain timezones, but for lil ol' american ari, it's still on time. shoutout to the [fiance](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chocobos/) as usual for blessing me with a speed dating prompt. what a lifesaver. ANYWAY, first time i'm writing ladies as the main focus of an ffxv fic! i like shipping the ladies together, and i find aranea/luna pretty endearing, so i thought i'd give it a go! enjoy <3

Luna honestly has no idea why she even manages to keep company with the friends that she has; they practically put her through endless torture, to say the very least. 

Well, perhaps not  _ endless _ torture, but an entire hour of speed dating sounds ceaseless, if she’s honest with herself -- and she’s nearly done with medical school, so that’s saying quite a lot.

“Noctis,” Luna says with a sigh, trying hard to plaster a polite smile on her face and failing, “why would I ever want to partake in  _ speed dating? _ Dating shouldn’t require speed. I don’t even have time to date traditionally.”

“I know,” Noctis sighs. “I promised my dad I’d go to make up for failing a class last semester. I don’t want to go alone.”

“What about Prompto, Ignis, or Gladio? Aren’t they better candidates for this sort of thing?” Luna nearly whines -- of course she  _ doesn’t _ whine, she’s not a whiner (perhaps she should start, if she’s honest with herself). “ _ Especially _ Gladio.”

Noctis laughs nervously, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “I don’t, um, want them landing a date. Any of them.” He’s practically covered head to toe with flush, and  _ then  _ she finally understands.

“Ah.” She finds herself grinning. “Why didn’t you say something about this earlier?”

“Promise you won’t tell them?” Noctis asks with a sigh. “Just do this one favor for me, Luna, and I swear, I will do anything you’d like. All the iced coffees and fancy bottles of wine in the world.”

Luna can’t help but laugh; Noctis always has been a generous soul despite pretending otherwise, but if only he’d mentioned that he needed this sort of favor earlier, she’d surely endure speed dating so her friend could continue courting his best friends. “None of that is necessary, I assure you. Well, perhaps maybe  _ one _ bottle of wine, so I can drink away my sorrows of having to talk to people I’m disinterested in for an entire hour.”

Noctis grins, pulling her into a hug. “You got it. I’ll get you ten.”

Luna shakes her head in disbelief, giggling softly. “Of that, I have no doubt. Let me find a suitable dress, then.”

“You’re the best, Luna. I love you.”

“Unfortunately for me, I love you, as well,” she teases.

\-----

_ Speed dating. _

This is how Luna finds herself fixing her ponytail in the mirror just after slipping into one of her favorite cocktail dresses. She’s always loved how this silk A-Line scoop looks on her form, not to mention the color -- champagne-colored save for the black lace overlay that covers the entirety of the dress. It always leaves her feeling bold yet elegant -- two traits she strives for at all times. She can admit that she feels rather beautiful wearing it, despite not desiring to impress  _ anyone  _ during any of these speed dating sessions. 

Still, nothing wrong with dressing for herself.

She sighs, arm linked with Noctis’s as they head to the closest bar on Insomnia University’s campus. Admittedly, this bar isn’t as unkempt as some of the other bars in the vicinity, so she’s glad she’s not terribly overdressed. Even if she is overdressed, however, Noctis is wearing a  _ suit _ ; she always found it incredibly amusing -- and endearing -- that he’s notoriously terrible at dressing himself properly for the right occasion. 

“Did Regis tell you to wear that as part of his speed dating request?” Luna guesses as they head inside the bar.

Noctis appears a little flushed when he responds. “Yeah.”

“I’m surprised you listened to him.”

Noctis sighs. “Yeah, I’m a little scared he’s gonna rescind my tuition payments if I don’t do what he says. Plus, if I’m dressed like an idiot to this thing, maybe no one will want my number.”

Luna laughs harder than necessary, throwing her head back as she does it. At least he’s self-aware. “Now, I hardly think he’d do such a thing; he loves you far too much.” She considers his words for a moment, however. “Perhaps I should have dressed with that logic in mind.” She sighs.

She feels Noctis’s eyes on her. “No, I mean, wow. You look amazing. Not even the bartender can stop staring at you.”

At the mention of the bartender, she turns to look at whoever is serving drinks, a knee-jerk reaction. She finds herself swallowing nervously when she’s met with a pair of striking green eyes noticeable from even across the room where Luna stands, gazing back at her with a teasing sort of intensity that makes Luna’s heart start to gallop in her chest. She’s standing behind the bar mixing a martini, the towel draped over her shoulder doing nothing to hide the fact that she’s wearing a black button-up dress shirt complete with a gray suit vest and a gray tie to match. Despite the formal wear, she can see the peek of a tattoo that Luna can’t quite make out on her chest. Her near-silver hair is also pulled into a ponytail not unlike Luna’s, except it frames her face beautifully.

Why on Eos would they host a speed dating session in a bar where the world’s most beautiful woman bartends? It ought to be awfully distracting to the patrons, in Luna’s opinion. At least, it’s distracting to  _ her _ . How is she supposed to focus on any sort of blind date when such beauty already exists, waiting to pour her a glass of wine?

Perhaps Luna will have to sit with her back to the bar so she doesn’t stare at the bartender; maybe then her speed dates won’t find her terribly rude. Still, Luna can hardly stop staring  _ now -- _ not when said bartender stares right back, her smirk widening the longer Luna gazes. The bartender quirks an eyebrow upward, and Luna finds her heart racing even further.

“Uh, Luna? Are you alright?” Noctis asks, waving his hand in front of her face.

Luna startles a bit, bringing her attention back to Noctis, reluctantly breaking eye contact with the beautiful bartender. “Ah. Apologies, Noctis. I thought I recognized the bartender you mentioned, that’s all.”

“Aranea?” Noctis asks. “She’s been working here for a few years now. All the guys tip her real well.” He laughs. “But she’s not into guys, so it’s easy money, so she stays. She’s pretty cool, though. Gave me a ride back to my dorm on her motorcycle when I had too much to drink once.”

_ Motorcycle? _ Luna feels all the blood rush to her head; she’d be entirely unsurprised if she developed a nosebleed at this information.

“Oh. Perhaps I’ve seen her here before,” Luna lies, knowing full well that the reason she was staring wasn’t out of recognition. Still, she tries to calm the race of her heart as she repeats Noctis’s words on a loop in her head -- ‘ _ she’s not into guys.’ _

Luna ought to thrash Noctis for actually managing to find someone interesting enough on a speed dating session -- even if the person she’s interested isn’t  _ actually  _ participating herself. It’s useless to even remotely think of dating while she’s so busy with medical school and her residency shortly thereafter, but she’s always considered herself a closet romantic, after all. Then again, she knows absolutely nothing about this  _ Aranea. _ For all Luna knows, she could be a terrible person.

The host of the speed dating session announces for everyone to take their first seats, and Luna finds herself having to force her gaze away from Aranea yet  _ again. _

Noctis sighs loudly from next to her. “Just let me know if anyone creeps you out, I’ll come to the rescue.”

Luna rolls her eyes. “My hero,” she says sarcastically, but reaches out to gently ruffle his hair teasingly, which Noctis groans and only barely dodges.

Funnily enough, she sits with her back to the bar, which is very helpful to not distract herself with Aranea.  _ Just one hour, _ she thinks.  _ One hour shouldn’t take too long, and then it will be over with. _

“Alright, everyone,” the host says with a fake smile, “once I ring this bell, you have five minutes to talk with your potential date. You may use the sample questions provided, or find your own topics of discussion to ask. Once the bell rings again, though, you must find a new partner.”

Noctis and Luna exchange tired looks at one another from across the room, which causes her to giggle a bit. This is all so silly; she can only hope it will be over soon enough.

The host rings the bell, and people are quick to find a partner to converse with for five minutes. Several people start to walk over to her table, which she smiles at as welcomingly as she can. Her face falls when she realizes someone has already sat in front of her, coming from the opposite direction in which she was gazing.

When Luna finally looks to see who she’ll be forced a five minute conversation with, her heart starts to pound.

She’s looking at none other than Aranea, the towel no longer draped over her shoulder, her tie no longer tucked into her suit vest as it dangles from her neck. She’s wearing that same smirk as before when Luna first entered the bar, though it’s much closer, and it does yet another number on the cadence of Luna’s heartbeat.

Luna also notices that Aranea is even more heartbreakingly charming up close. She has the tiniest, subtlest dashing of freckles across her adorable nose. It complements her full lips and long lashes doused with a hint of mascara. Mostly, Luna can’t quite overcome how beautiful the combination of her silver hair is with her piercing green eyes.

If Luna wasn’t already aware that she was into women, this would send her into a crisis all over again.

“Hey, there,” Aranea says finally, her voice deeper than Luna anticipated. Her eyes travel up and down Luna, staking her claim with her gaze just as Luna had done to her. She keeps a beer for herself as she slides some sort of clear drink to Luna, garnished with leaves. “You strike me as a mojito type. Hope you’re not allergic to mint.”

Luna doesn’t want to give away the fact that mojitos are among her favorite, so she keeps her expression neutral, save for the quirk of an eyebrow. She takes a sip of the cocktail, resisting the urge to moan at the wonderful taste of the sweet combined with the sour. 

Apparently, Luna’s expression wasn’t as neutral as she’d hoped, as Aranea grins at her reaction to the drink. “ _ You _ don’t look like the speed dating type, I won’t lie,” Aranea says.

Luna certainly hopes she isn’t flushing; she’s certainly not a flusher, not by a long shot. “Well, I certainly know  _ you  _ aren’t one,” Luna counters, leveling a challenging look at her. “You’re the bartender. What on Eos are you doing talking with me? Don’t you have drinks to serve?”

Aranea’s grin widens. “I served you, didn’t I?” She laughs. “The drinks are in my lovely coworker Dino’s hands, don’t you worry. I appreciate the concern, though, sugar. You didn’t answer me, though. What are you doing here participating in something as lame as speed dating?” She lets out a snort while still managing to look utterly devourable.

“I could ask the same of you,” Luna points out. She tries desperately to ignore the way Aranea’s  _ ‘sugar’  _ tingles down her spine pleasantly. “I’m not really here for… all this.” She gestures to the rest of the participants. “My friend over there--” she points to Noctis, who looks all but miserable talking to some overly chatty man, “--promised to participate, so I didn’t want him to be alone.”

“That’s awfully sweet of you,” Aranea teases. “Don’t know if I could stomach all  _ this  _ for a friend.”

“Yet, here you are,” Luna says. 

Aranea laughs, wiggling her eyebrows teasingly. “Well, I couldn’t let someone as gorgeous as you be snatched up, huh?”

Luna resists the urge to bite her lip, and fails -- she looks up at Aranea underneath half-lidded lashes, not even trying to contain her attraction. “I wasn’t worried in the slightest, but perhaps, now that you’re here, speed dating might be something worth trying from now on.”

“Well, we could knock the speed off of speed dating and ditch this joint, maybe go to the movies, what say you?” Aranea asks playfully.

“A tempting offer,” Luna says sarcastically, even though she considered it for what felt like a full minute of their current speed date, “but I truly cannot abandon a friend in need.”

Aranea clicks her tongue against her teeth scoldingly, leaning back in her chair as she throws back a sip of beer. “What a shame, huh? Between you and me, Dino over there,” she nods to her bartending coworker, “bet me I couldn’t get three ladies’ numbers by the end of the hour. I can’t lose a bet like  _ that.” _

Luna frowns. “You’re here due to a wager? And here I was, starting to think we were getting somewhere.” She sips her mojito, refusing to break eye contact with her for even a moment; if Aranea can relentlessly flirt, then so can she -- there’s no rule against that.

“I mean, I could always get your number. Wouldn’t be a total loss. I saved you from at least one crappy speed dater,  _ and _ I’m closer to winning 50 gil. Win-win.” She takes another sip of beer, but doesn’t take her eyes off of Luna, either.

Luna finds herself laughing, rolling her eyes. “Now, now, you’ve been misleading. I can’t allow you to get away with that.”

Aranea chuckles, smirking a half-smile that has no business affecting Luna’s heart rate the way that it does. “Fair enough, sugar. Can I at least get a name? I’ve gotta remember the beautiful girl who walked in here and broke my poor, fragile heart.” Her tone drips with playful sarcasm.

Luna lets out another giggle, even more embarrassing than her last laugh. “I’m certain you’ll survive,” she notes. “It’s Luna, if you must know.”

Aranea raises her eyebrows. “Luna? As pretty as the moon, huh?”

Luna can’t help but smile despite the sappiness of the flirtation. “I’ve never heard  _ that _ one before,” she notes sarcastically.

“Oh, yeah, totally, but no one else who said it was as charming as me, I bet,” Aranea says with a wink.

Luna, despite her best efforts to resist it, feels a bit of heat crop up on her cheeks. “I’ll agree with you on at  _ least _ that.” She takes another sip. “You’re Aranea, correct?”

Aranea raises an eyebrow. “My reputation precedes me,” she jokes. “How’d you know that?”

“Apparently, my friend Noctis frequents this bar.” Luna laughs.

“But never you, eh? I  _ totally  _ would’ve remembered you.” She smirks. “Noctis… hey, isn’t that the pretty boy rich kid with the CEO dad who paid for his full ride to school?” She turns and looks over her shoulder. “Oh. Yep. That’s him. Comes in with his little boyfriends all the time.”

Luna can’t help but bark out a laugh at that. “That would be Noctis, yes. He’s far kinder than he seems.”

“Nah, he’s cool. The blondie he comes in with is hilarious. And they’re great, ‘cause they don’t really hit on me, but they still tip well. Another win-win,” she says teasingly. “How come you never show up with them, then, if you’re such good friends?”

Luna bites her lip. “I’m afraid I’m far too tied up with schoolwork to bar hop like they do. I’ve my dissertation to work on as of late.”

“Oh? What are you going to school for?”

“I’m in medical school, currently. I hope to become a doctor.”

“Impressive.  _ Doctor _ Luna, huh?” She winks again.

“Not yet,” Luna says with a soft laugh. “And yourself? Has bartending always been your passion?” 

“Nah, my parents forced me into the military at age eighteen. Good at it, but hated it, so thought I’d relax a bit, go to school… one thing led to another, and I’m having a good time doing this. Didn’t expect to be here this long, but you know how that goes.”

“I can understand that. What is it that you wish to do then, if not this?” Luna asks.

The ringing of the bell interrupts their conversation. Luna’s surprised it’s already been five minutes; talking with Aranea seemed to go by in an instant.

Aranea scoots her chair back, finishing off her beer in one long swig. Luna tries not to pay attention to the column of her throat as she swallows, and how much she wants to lean in and press kisses along the length of it. Aranea finishes, tossing the beer in the trash as she stands up.

“Guess if you wanna know more, you might have to reconsider givin’ me that number,” Aranea says. “Seriously, though. Nice talking to you. Hope I see you around, sugar.”

Luna wishes she was a stronger woman than this, but being referred to yet again as ‘ _ sugar’  _ turns her blood to molten lava which rushes to her face, equally as hot. “You’ve certainly made my evening interesting, Miss Aranea.”

“Just Aranea’s fine, doll,” she says as she straightens her tie before starting to walk off. Her hand brushes against Luna’s shoulder as she leaves, and her skin tingles where she touched. 

Luna watches Aranea seat herself in front of another attractive woman with glasses and a much darker complexion than Luna’s fair one. She tries to shove down the flutter of jealousy; she has no business with an ugly emotion such as  _ that --  _ preposterous. What’s happening to her?

Maybe Luna  _ would _ have to come to this bar more often. Noctis always complains that she drowns in her work too much. ‘ _ Just like Specs,’ _ he’d often whine. Maybe Aranea could drag Luna out on weekends after all. Aranea will be so bad for her schoolwork if that ends up happening -- of that, Luna is absolutely certain.

Luna locks eyes with Noctis across the room, who looks even more distraught about this evening than before, amusingly enough. Still, his eyes travel from Aranea to Luna, a perplexed expression on his face. She shrugs wordlessly in return, laughing a little. He rolls his eyes in response, shaking his head in disbelief. She supposes she deserves that.

The ring of the bell yet again startles Luna, as she’s so lost in thought that she wasn’t prepared for someone else to sit across from her. It’s a man this time, average in features, with skin not much tanner than her own fair complexion. 

“Hey,” the man says, tone far too suggestive for Luna’s liking. “You’re way too hot to be speed dating.”

Luna has always preferred women, but even she can admit that this particular man’s ‘charm’ doesn’t work nearly as well as Aranea’s had.

“It’s for a friend’s behalf, I didn’t wish him to endure such a horrid evening alone,” Luna responds stiffly. “Do you do this often?”

“Yeah, pretty much all the time. An easy way to get laid, right? Had to head over to you right away. You’re absolutely a  _ knockout.” _

Luna frowns, wondering if the man can go without talking about her appearance for longer than a single moment. “You mentioned that. Thank you.”

“Nah, don’t be like that,” he purrs, reaching out to touch her wrist. “Just trying to pay a pretty lady a compliment.”

Luna withdraws her hand swiftly, fully prepared to knock the man flat on his ass if she has to. 

“Do you attend the university?” she asks, trying to avoid his comment entirely.

“Yeah, I’m in one of the fraternities.”

“That doesn’t surprise me.”

“Yeah? You go to frat parties often?” he asks, the insult going over his head entirely. “You don’t look like much of a partier, but you never know. Smart ones are usually the wildest,” he says with a smirk.

Luna can’t even resist the urge to roll her eyes, hiding behind her mojito glass as she finishes it off. “I don’t attend many, no. I’ve really no interest in them. I’ve a lot of schoolwork.”

“No one goes to school for  _ work, _ I’m here to party,” he says with a grin. 

“I see. I hope that you enjoy yourself.”

Luna starts to tap her fingers on the table impatiently, praying that the bell will ring soon. This clearly isn’t like the conversation she had with Aranea; it’s obvious that it will feel like a lifetime has passed before she’s free from this horrid man --  _ boy, _ she corrects herself mentally.

Luna lets her eyes wander over to Aranea, and finds her laughing with her new partner. Jealousy aside, she only wishes she were at  _ their _ table, laughing along with them -- or at least with Noctis, who still looks equally miserable with his new partner, as well.

Aranea’s eyes find hers from across the room. She raises an eyebrow and winks. Luna bites her lip, trying to tune out the words coming out of the frat boy’s mouth in front of her in favor of gazing at Aranea’s beautiful features. Aranea laughs from across the room, pointing Luna out to her new partner, who pushes her glasses up her nose and throws Luna a look of sympathy as well.

Well, at least Luna has garnered sympathy for her predicament.

Luna feels fingers brush against her wrist once more, and she returns her gaze to the frat boy sitting in front of her.

“Hey, are you even listening to me?” he asks, clearly offended. “Thought we were talking.”

“ _ You _ were,” Luna states plainly, blinking in offense.

Luna barely registers the sound of thick-heeled boots walking over to her table before she sees Aranea standing next to Luna’s table, hand on her hip.

“C’mon, babe, I know you’re mad at me, but speed dating? When you already have a girlfriend?” Aranea asks. “I didn’t think this was a  _ breakup.” _

Luna’s stomach fills with butterflies as her heart pounds once she realizes why Aranea is pretending to be her partner. She looks up in surprise, unable to stop herself from flushing when Aranea delivers a wink to her.

“Oh, darling,” Luna says, playing along, “I’m terribly sorry. I merely thought it would make you jealous, so we’d stop fighting, of course.”

“Well, you know me. I’m a jealous gal. I don’t like anyone near you without your permission,” Aranea says pointedly, leveling a death glare at the frat boy at the table.

The frat boy, at this point, is frowning, clear confusion on his face. Luna would almost feel bad for the man if he wasn’t so utterly insufferable.

“What the hell is this?” the frat boy asks. “This is supposed to be my time?!”

Aranea laughs. “Not anymore, kid. Beat it.”

The bell rings as soon as she said it, rendering her rescue attempt futile, but Luna still can’t overcome how sweet of a gesture it was. The frat boy rolls his eyes, sighing in frustration as he shoves himself away from the table.

Luna stands up to look at Aranea; they’re the same height in their heels, but for some reason, with Aranea’s confident stance, she seems taller somehow. Luna looks into Aranea’s beautiful green eyes, a gentle smile on her lips.

“My hero,” Luna teases. “You have a soft side after all, Aranea.”

Aranea laughs at this. “There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me. Just don’t tell anyone, though. I can’t have people knowing.”

“Your secret’s safe with me. What about your poor speed date? Don’t tell me you abandoned such a lovely woman to save me from peril.”

“Don’t worry, it was her idea to begin with,” Aranea points out. 

Luna laughs harder than she has in a long time. “How ever can I thank you?”

“This one’s for free. But… if you’re ever interested, I wouldn’t mind taking you out sometime. You know, without the five-minute time limit.”

Affection and longing course through Luna’s veins. She should say no; Aranea’s a reckless hurricane of a woman, apparently. She could certainly get into trouble. Somehow, the words that come out of her mouth contradict her apprehension -- or lack thereof.

“What time does your shift end?” 

Aranea’s responding grin nearly knocks the breath out of Luna. “I can be done whenever. Thought you didn’t wanna abandon your friend, though.”

Luna looks over to find Noctis’s nose buried in his phone, standing away from any of the tables. She laughs at the sight.

“It would appear that he’s abandoning his post as well. Evidently, speed dating isn’t either of our strong suits. Who would have thought?” Luna teases.

“Yeah. Can’t imagine why,” Aranea says sarcastically. “Wanna go see a movie with me?”

Luna bites her lip as she considers it, eyes lingering on the tiny freckles on Aranea’s face, breathing in the subtle scent of her perfume. “I would… quite like that, actually. After all, we  _ are  _ girlfriends now, apparently.”

“Of course. Can’t believe you tried to cheat on me.” Aranea elbows her playfully. “Need to go tell Pretty Boy you’re leaving?”

Luna sighs, peeling her eyes away from Aranea reluctantly. “I ought to.”

Before Luna can make her way over, Noctis looks up from his phone. He finds Luna’s questing gaze immediately, a sigh of relief leaving his lips as he bounds across the room in several fast strides.

“Luna, I don’t think I can handle another speed date. I will actually combust,” Noctis says, seemingly trying very hard not to whine. “Sorry to drag you here to begin with. I’ll just tell my dad I didn’t find anyone special.” He looks over at Aranea. “Hey, how’s it going?”

“Hey, Prince Charming,” Aranea jokes. “You’ve got a really good friend, here. I’m gonna show her a good time, so you can call your boyfriends and bring ‘em here. Dino will give you free drinks all night.”

Noctis widens his eyes. “Wait, seriously? You’re awesome.” 

“Don’t mention it, punk.” Aranea punches his shoulder.

Noctis laughs, looking over at Luna. “Sorry for tonight, Luna, but I’m so glad you’re not totally miserable.” He smirks. “I’ll call you later, maybe?” He looks at Aranea pointedly. “...Or maybe tomorrow.”

Luna wants to elbow her friend so badly, but refrains. “I look forward to it. And please, don’t apologize.” She smiles. “For the most part, I was thoroughly entertained.”

“You’re welcome.” Aranea smirks. “Shall we dance, sugar?” She loosens her tie, unbuttoning her vest before offering her arm to Luna. The unkempt look is even  _ more _ attractive than it already was, and Luna finds herself thanking her lucky stars that she decided to come here this evening.

Luna hooks her arm around Aranea’s, surprised (and also not, because of  _ course) _ to find strong musculature underneath the long sleeve of her dress shirt.

This woman is bound to kill her, Luna is certain of it.

“I would want nothing more.”

The September evening is unseasonably chilly when they leave the bar. Aranea drapes her suit jacket that she picked up from behind the bar over Luna’s shoulders. It smells of her perfume, and Luna wishes she could keep it forever.

\-----

They choose a ridiculously bad film to see on purpose, of course. Luna has a hard time paying attention, as the hero is chased by several antagonists on a subway train in a ridiculous fight sequence.

Luna can’t help but laugh at a ridiculously-thrown punch on the screen, until she feels a finger brush against her own. She looks down to find Aranea’s finger teasingly stroking her hand. Luna is unable to resist entwining their fingers together, the warmth of Aranea’s pleasantly soothing.

Aranea’s lips are at her ear, whispering low. “You know, you’ve got about the  _ cutest _ laugh I’ve ever heard.”

Luna bites her lip, her eyes wandering over to Aranea’s, still a beautiful emerald even in the darkness of the theater. “You must say that to all the girls.”

“No way,” Aranea purrs, “I don’t call  _ anyone  _ cute.”

“Well, I’m quite flattered, then,” Luna whispers back. She squeezes Aranea’s hand despite her playful words. “You know, I was thinking I ought to thank you for what you did for me tonight, rescuing me from such danger.” She can’t help but allow a smile to tug at her lips.

“Oh, yeah? How you gonna do that, sugar?”

Luna reaches over with her free hand, wrapping it around Aranea’s loosened tie, gently coaxing her over the theater armrest and into her space. She stops only an inch from Aranea’s pretty pink lips, and it’s all worth it for the soft surprise on Aranea’s usually confident, beautiful features. 

“How about a kiss, for starts?” Luna whispers, almost against Aranea’s mouth.

Aranea responds by closing the distance between them, free hand reaching out to cup Luna’s cheek as their lips press against each other gently. It starts out as chaste, just the softness of Aranea’s lips brushing against Luna’s equally eager ones. All it takes is for Aranea to slide her questing fingers around to grip the back of Luna’s head, and Luna finds herself surging forward even more, her tongue teasing the bottom of Aranea’s mouth longingly.

Aranea hums pleasurably, opening her mouth for Luna’s tongue as it brushes against her own. Heat floods Luna’s face, pleasure tingling down her spine as their kiss intensifies further. Luna tilts her head to give Aranea more access to her mouth.

It’s safe to say that the plot of the movie is lost on the both of them after that, as they kiss each other for nearly the entirety of it, unable to get enough of each other.

When they finally pull apart, breathless and laughing quietly, Luna’s certain she’s never so quickly connected with someone quite like this before, or felt the longing pull for something more than just kissing and flirting.

“Maybe speed dating isn’t so bad after all,” Aranea whispers with another gentle, teasing laugh.

“I’d much prefer keep the dating between us, if you don’t mind,” Luna teases.

“I’ve got the day off tomorrow, doc.” Aranea winks.

“Well, that’s quite convenient.”

“Oh, yeah? Why’s that, sugar?” Aranea asks, stroking Luna’s face.

Luna beams. “That’s my birthday.”

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading! oh, and in case anyone is curious, [this](https://66.media.tumblr.com/6156534924f364a4c51701aea2a98397/tumblr_pxbhqveMyZ1qhf4j4o1_400.jpg) is the dress i had in mind for luna :0   
anyway, here's my [twitter](http://twitter.com/ignisgayentia) and [tumblr](http://ignisgayentia.tumblr.com) <3


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